Monday, January 22, 2007

Insert Appropriate Pirate Exclamation (here)

Something about the excitement of seeing the naughty skull and crossbones pattern gradually emerge made the We Call Them Pirates hat a very captivating weekend project. You can get the pattern at Hello Yarn and join the KAL here. The pattern calls for Dale of Norway Hauk, but since I'm knitting from my stash I used a store credit (I'm really stretching this whole knit from your stash concept, aren't I?) to buy a suitable substitute. Sadly I was given a bum steer and used Trekking (Hello, sock yarn?! Would it kill me to pay attention once in a while?) and the hat came out just the right size for the most junior member of this household.

Now, I love this kid and she's loving the hat, but I WANTED IT FOR MYSELF! So, I will dig out some Peer Gynt from my stash and have another go at it. What is perplexing to me is that I swatched this hat and actually got gauge, so why the smallness? What am I not understanding? In any case, I am glad to have a girl who wants to wear pirate insignia when all indications point to the fact that Hannah Montana and other Disney channel tween trollops have colonized the minds of our nation's young girls

If you are looking for a weekend fling, might I suggest mittens? I was on a major mitten kick last year and the urge to knit them has waned considerably. But as I was digging through my stash and contemplating the general horror, I noticed a lone mitten that was only halfway completed. I fished it out with glee realizing the potential that it represented--a pair of finished objects in very little time.

While watching a looooong Antonioni film on Saturday night and then Da Bears yesterday (whoo-hoo, I'm a Vikes fan but I'm rooting for them because a. the Vikings suck and b. it's Babs' team), I now have a pair of mittens for the frigid temps that are predicted to be coming our way in the next several days. I did them out of Big Print, a yarn I truly love. There's nothing like taking care of unfinished business!

The Knitting group met yesterday at church and we've decided to knit along with the Lone Knitter and the Crafty Granny and contribute to their blanket/squares drive. I highly recommend it as a. it's a great cause, b. the Lone Knitter is a major doll andc. there is some serious contest swag involved! Go for it, knit some 8 x 8 squares, you know you want to!

I'm so touched that you and your church group are knitting squares for me and Mom J! You are too thoughtful. Thanks for the plug too. I love the skull and crossbones hat. I still need to make my first pair of mittens. Yours are so bright and cheery.